Self-assessment of linguistic skills by bilingual hispanics

This study examines the ability of bilinguals to judge their linguistic com petence. Participants evaluated their Spanish and English language skills b oth before and after administration of the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey, which provided an objective measure of these skills. Self-assessments were more accurate for Spanish than for English and, in the case of English, var ied with the skill being rated. Feedback from the objective test improved s elf-rating accuracy more for Spanish than for English. There was little sup port for the conclusion that the language in which the self-assessments are presented influences bilinguals' self-ratings of their linguistic skills. Implications for the use of self-assessments in applied situations are disc ussed.